Onkyo adds Chromecast support retroactively

Onkyo have just announced that they will be adding Chromecast streaming services to many of it's wireless speakers and AV receivers across its stable of home theater audio brands — Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer. How many of you new that Onkyo owned Pioneer?

This firmware release enhances audio streaming and the wireless multi-room ecosystem that are integrated into key components from each brand. Although firmware upgrades can be a bit of a pain, we acknowledged they also bring some very cool benefits, it's good to see Onkyo adding support for models they've already sold and older models.

Onkyo AV Receiver

Chromecast support will allow users to share a wide selection of music, Internet radio and podcasts. Chromecast built-in is supported on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android phones and tablets, Chromebook, and Chrome browser on Mac, Windows, and Linux PCs.

Under Pioneer Home Entertainment the Chromecast built-in firmware update is being added to AV receivers including the Elite series: SC-LX901 , SC-LX801 , SC-LX701 , SC-LX501 , VSX-LX301 , VSX-LX101 , SX-S30 , and the FS-EB70 soundbar. Under the Pioneer series are the following AV receivers: VSX-1131 , VSX-832 , VSX-831 , and VSX-S520 ; and the XC-HM86 and X-HM76 network receiver/CD player systems. The update will also be added to the just released MRX-3 multiroom wireless speaker.

Onkyo Networked AV Receiver

The firmware update adds support for the Google Home, and audio devices featuring the forthcoming Google Assistant. Users can ask Google Home to find music from supported streaming services and play it back through their Integra component. Operations such as volume adjustment and song selection can also be performed using voice commands.

Users should be able to use the Chromecast system to stream audio from mobile devices to components by tapping or clicking on an icon built into Chromecast. This sends audio to the receiver or speaker system wirelessly, with sampling rates of up to 48 kHz supported for lossless sources.

All of the products with Chromecast built-in feature on-board Ethernet or dual-band 5 GHz/2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for stable, interference-free streaming with less buffering and fewer dropouts.

Chromecast built-in allows use of other apps while streaming music. Listeners can answer calls, send emails, or play games without interrupting audio playback. The platform also enables streaming of single or multiple audio sources to other Chromecast-enabled speakers simultaneously. No special device setup, password entry, or pairing process is required to connect and stream via Chromecast built-in, providing both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

To enjoy the Chromecast built-in on the supported products, apps must be Chromecast-enabled and the receiver and device must be connected to the same network.